How do you keep everything dry. Hobie stuff sack that came with the Adventure (not AI). The hammock and rain fly fit perfectly. For the sleeping bag I have an old army stuff sack/waterproof bag almost like a hefty on steroids.

Thanks for your reply. I should have made myself a bit clearer there. Of course you transport it in a drybag. Mine always is in a dry bag, actually 2. I keep the hammock and tarp seperate in case the tarp gets wet it doesn't make the hammock wet when packed together.I meant more while set up, seeing that there is a lot of water in the seatwell and everything else around is normally wet too.

I should have made myself a bit clearer there. Of course you transport it in a drybag. Mine always is in a dry bag, actually 2. I keep the hammock and tarp seperate in case the tarp gets wet it doesn't make the hammock wet when packed together.I meant more while set up, seeing that there is a lot of water in the seatwell and everything else around is normally wet too.

Hollgi, my personal technique is: I don't use the snakeskins. I keep the hammock tightly rolled around its ridgeline and the flysheet wrapped around the hammock. The whole thing is stuffed in a drysack, with the bow end of the hammock going in last.When I set up, I first lay the PVC poles out, with the bow pole facing forward and the stern pole facing backward and the guy ropes attached to the akas. Working from bow to stern, I then feed the hammock and fly out, looping the ridge line over the hull and poles as I go. At that point, the poles are up in the air with the rolled up fly and hammock hanging between them. Because I pull the hammock and fly out of the sack a bit at a time, as I reach each attachment point, no part of them lies in the bottom of the boat at any stage.Then I unwrap the fly from around the hammock and attach its side cords.At that point, the fly is spread, so even if it's raining, the hammock remains dry under the fly. Lastly, I unwrap the hammock and tie its side cords out.When packing up, I do it all exactly in reverse.Wow, that's a mouthful, but it's much simpler to do than describe. The point is, at all times the hammock is protected from rain and from water lying in the boat.

One of the reasons behind the ladder haka was to use them as a camping platform that would enable sleeping on board or even on land over very rough ground.After dry testing it I'm now ready to try a proper on water test. This is where I'm at so far:

The haka have 1.8m of dinghy bench cushions to use as a mattress

The haka are centred over the hull and locked together with 25mm conduit through the rungs.

The swag is unrolled and hoops assembled. Conduit inserted into other rungs supports the ends of the wider hoop.

The hoops are fixed directly to the ladder and the rear hoop is tied off to the hull.

Once assembled this system can be removed in one piece and relocated to land if necessary.

Now for the on water testing.....

PS- On the water I will be standing on the tramps to put this together. To make this more comfortable I intend using the aluminium foam sandwich panelling seen in the pics. It will be cut into smaller planks for storage and will sit on the tramp in use....hopefully! More info in the haka thread here:viewtopic.php?f=69&t=37645&start=180

We all know that the design has been in the back of your mind for ages and just needed a bit of coaxing out. You finally nailed it. Great bit of work. Bass Strait plans are com'n together

I'm thinking of going over to the sand islands in Swansea Channel to stay on Saturday night if you're keen ( photos of the spot below. You can just see the spot on the NE corner of the main island ). Weather looks 'OK' for it at the moment. Probably leave Sat arvo and back lunchish Sun. Just a thought. Would have liked to have caught up with Dave up at the bay but can't take the car too far at the moment.

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Don't take life too seriously................it ain't permanent.

Last edited by Slaughter on Wed Apr 11, 2012 5:47 pm, edited 2 times in total.

I'll be making sure I have a sharp knife with me inside the bivvy at all times!Thanks all for the comments ..... and the plumbing isn't hooked up yet!

Chris,Kathy is not that keen on sleeping on board at the moment (probably thinking along the same lines as Nohuhu). I'm hoping she'll change her mind.

Slaughter,I can't make it this weekend -I'm working. I was hoping to test it out tonight but the weather is pretty lousy so far today. I was thinking about trying to catch up sometime with Dave as well but that week is in the middle of my shifts. I might be able to arrange something. I could pick you up on the way through.

Dave,What days would suit you best?BTW- The tiles will be RED of course!

I wanted to leave the mast holder clear but yes it could just as easily be slid forward so that the rear cargo area is clear. I haven't positioned the tube clips yet for camping. I can't use the clips already fitted as they are directly under the rungs which hit the cam cleats.I also wanted to have access to the front hatch. I'm intending on using either the mast or a pole in the mast holder to attach a fly to cover the swag in case of bad weather.I'll be testing it this arvo at the usual spot.

Why not rotate the ladder Bivy 90 degrees and have access to the boat hatches and the back storage. Slightly off center will balance your feet down and keep the boat from rocking. For long distance sailing it might be too much baggage and extra weight. I wonder if there is a lighter, less bulky substitute for the ladders?